Hand-cranked boat propeller drive

ABSTRACT

A manually-operated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy. The drive includes a manually-operated crank which is connected by gearing and chains to a propeller drive shaft that is keyed to a propeller. The propeller is supported by a depending hanger having its upper end attached to a horizontal drive tube. The drive tube is journaled within a main support member so that the tube may be rotated to raise the hanger and thereby render the propeller accessible for the removal of foreign matter such as weeds. When the hanger has been raised to an upright position it may be pivoted forwardly so as to permit the drive to be easily carried and stowed.

[ Oct. 28, 1975 'United States Patent [1 1 Benwell HAND-CRANKED BOAT PROPELLER Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix DRIVE [76] Inventor:

Assistant ExaminerSherman D. Basinger Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht Douglas B. Benwell, 4325 Cerritos Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90807 Jan. 10., 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A manually-operated propelling and steering drive for [22] Filed:

a dinghy. The drive includes a manually-operated crank which is connected by gearing and chains to a propeller drive shaft that is keyed to a propeller. The propeller is supported by a depending hanger having its upper end attached to a horizontal drive tube. The drive tube is journaled within a main support member so that the tube may be rotated to raise the hanger and thereby render the propeller accessible for the removal of foreign matter such as weeds. When the hanger has been raised to an upright position it may be pivoted forwardly so as to permit the drive to be d Av w m S d n a d e i r r a C Y H S a e 4444 RM 2222X 1/ 4 9 5555 I15 1111 2 111115 5 1 1H v u."1 1 4 mun 4% m m. 2 S .2 T 5 n u 10 N U 1 E m "a. T u... an eA mmlmm mmm .nP mm mm m m w T m .\m w m m m m m m a. m m "N" e M "u .mSLCBHK 4 m m c m D 5 NM B03267 "U8 2556 "NS wwwww N 2 N///// GL0 703 L C 1 W SLM a 37923 A U'mnM 49568 .5 .5 7 297 n muse 2a m Ur iU U. l 2 z 3 10 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 Sheet 2 of 3 3,915,11

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NMY N U,S. Oct. 28, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,915,11

FIGQIB Z8 HAND-CRANKED BOAT PROPELLER DRIVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the art of boating and more particularly to a portable manuallyoperated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy that is removably attachable to the transom of a dinghy.

Although manually-operated propelling and steering drives for dinghies have been heretofore proposed none have achieved widespread commercial success. A serious problem inherent to heretofore-proposed drives of this type is the difficulty encountered in removing foreign matter from the propeller. Moreover, such heretofore-proposed drives have generally been bulky and difficult to transport and to stow. Additionally, these drives have been inefficient in converting manual power to forward thrust.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a major object of the present invention to provide an improved manually-operated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a dinghy drive of the aforedescribed nature which permits ready access to the propeller for removing weeds or other foreign matter, while the drive is attached to the boat.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a dinghy drive of the aforedescribed nature which is compact and may be quickly folded into a small package so as to be readily transportable and easy to stow.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a dinghy drive of the aforedescribed nature which is highly efficient in converting manual power into forward thrust.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dinghy drive of the aforedescribed nature which is simple in design and rugged of construction whereby it may afford a long and trouble-free service life.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of dinghy drive embodying the present invention, such view being partially cut away in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of said dinghy drive;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of said dinghy drive;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of said dinghy drive;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the propeller assembly taken in enlarged scale along line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 88 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 99 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a vertical view taken in enlarged scale along line l010 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing said dinghy drive mounted on the transom of a dinghy with the propeller thereof exposed for the removal of foreign matter;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the propeller hanger rotated from its normal depending position into an upright position; and

.FIG. 13 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 12, but showing the propeller hanger pivoted into position for the transportation and stowage of said dinghy drive.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a preferred form of dinghy drive D embodying the present invention is shown mounted on the transom 20 of a dinghy, generally designated 22. The dinghy drive D includes a transom mounting member, generally designated 24, having a U-shaped opening 26 which receives the dinghy transom 20, a pair of conventional clamping bolts 28 being provided for this purpose. A main support member, generally designated 32, is pivotally positioned on the upper portion of transom mounting member 24 and a horizontal drive tube, generally designated 36, has its intermediate portion journaled by main support member 32. A propeller hanger, generally designated 40, normally depends from the rear of main support member 32, with the lower portion of the propeller hanger supporting a propeller 42. The front of the horizontal drive tube 36 is secured to the rear of a crank support member, generally designated 44, with a manuallyoperated crank 46 being carried by such crank support member. Suitable gearing and chain drive members are interposed between the crank. 46 and the propeller 42 whereby manual rotation of the crank effects concurrent rotation of the propeller so as to drive the dinghy 22. A steering handle 48 secured to the front of crank support member 44 permits the dinghy helmsman to pivot drive tube 36 and main support member 38 relative to transom mount 44 to thereby steer the dinghy during its movement through the water.

More particularly, the transom mounting member 24 includes a pair of vertical side plates 50 and 52 which may be apertured. These side plates are of inverted U- shaped configuration. The lower end of the front side plate legs are interconnected by a cross-bar 54 which carries the aforementioned clamping bolts 28. The rear legs are rigidly interconnected by a cross-bar 56. The upper portions of side plates 50 and 52 are rigidly interconnected by cross-bars 58, as shown particularly in FIG. 6. An adjustment plate 60 bridges the side plates and has its front end pivotally affixed thereto by pivot pins 62. The rear end of the adjustment plate 60 is pivotally connected to a pair of vertically extending adjustment links 64 at the upper portion of such links by a pivot pin 66. A set screw 68 extends through the elongated eye 70 of each link 64 and into a threaded bore (not slnown)v formed in the upper portion of the side plates 50 and 52. The mid-portion of adjustment plate 60 supports a boss 72 that depends from the main support member 32. Boss 72 is rigidly supported by the adjustment plate. The upper end of boss 72 abuts and is affixed to the underside of the main support member 32.

. Main support member 32 includes a horizontal bottom plate 74 and a pair of upstanding front and rear ears 76 and 78, respectively, as indicated particularly inFIGS. 6 and 8. The cars are formed in two pieces 78a and 78b which have their parting line extending horizontally through the longitudinal axis of the drive tube 36. A pair of bolts 80 and 82 secure the two halves together. A friction washer 84 formed of a material such as DuPont DELRIN is interposed between the underside of bottom plate 74 and the top surface of adjustment plate 60 of transom support member 24 by means of a pair of cap screws 76. These screws 76 may be tightened or loosened to vary the frictional engagement between the adjustment plate 60 and the bottom plate 74 to thus vary the amount of force required for pivoting the main support member 32 relative to the transom mounting member 24.

As indicated previously, the intermediate portion of the horizontal drive tube 36 is rigidly secured within the longitudinally aligned apertures 86 of the main support member 32. As shown in FIG. 6, a drain hole 88 may be provided for the horizontal drive tube. The front end of the horizontal drive tube 36 is provided with a flange 90 which is secured to the rear wall 94 of the crank support member 44 by a plurality of screws. The crank support member 44 takes the form of a generally rectangular box. The top and bottom walls 94 and 96 of the crank support member journal a pair of front and rear vertical shafts 98 and 100 joumaled within suitable self-lubricated bearings of conventional construction. A spur gear 104 is keyed to rear shaft 100' below a sprocket 106 keyed to the opposite side thereof. The upper end of front shaft 98 extends through the top wall 96 of crank support member 44 so as to be secured to the aforementioned crank 46. A sprocket 108 is keyed to the front shaft 98 below the top wall 96. As indicated in FIG. 9, the front sprocket 108 is smaller in diameter than the rear sprocket 106. Preferably, the ratio will be two to one. Sprockets 106 and 108 are drivingly connected by a preferably stainless steel roller chain 109. The steering handle 48 has its rear end rigidly affixed to the front wall 1 of crank support member 44. Preferably vents 112 and 114 will extend through the front and top walls 96 and 110, and between the rear wall 94 and the interior of horizontal drive tube 36, as shown in FIG. 6.

A drive shaft 116 extends coaxially through the horizontal drive tube 36. As seen in FIG. 6, the front end of the drive shaft 116 extends through a self-lubricated bearing 118 mounted in the rear wall 94 of crank support member 44 and is keyed to a second spur gear 120 which meshes with the aforementioned gear 104 that is keyed to the rear shaft 100. The drive shaft gear 120 is smaller than its complimentary gear 104, preferably in the ratio of one to two. The rear end of drive shaft 116 extends through a suitable self-lubricated bearing 122 mounted in the rear end of drive tube 36 and is keyed to a driving sprocket 124. The rear portion of horizontal drive tube 36 is provided with a pair of depending ears 126 and 128 which are longitudinal relative to the longitudinal axis of the drive tube and are spaced apart a suitable distance to receive the upper portion of a top plate 130 of the aforementioned propeller hanger 40. A pair of aligned screws 132 and 134 normally extend through aligned apertures formed through ears 126 and 128 and top plate 130 as to secure the propeller hanger 40 to the drive tube 36. The propeller hanger 40 includes an N-shaped strut 140 having its upper end rigidly affixed to the aforementioned top plate 130, while the lower end thereof is-rigidly secured to a generally bullet-shaped pod 142. As

indicated particularly in FIG.'-7, the pod 142 is provided with self-lubricated bearings 144 and 146 which journal a propeller shaft 148. The intermediate portion of the propeller shaft 148 is keyed to a driven sprocket 150. It should be noted that the propeller shaft sprocket 150 is of substantially the same diameter as that of the aforementioned drive shaft sprocket 124. These sprockets are connected by an endless roller chain 152 of stainless steel construction. The propeller shaft 148 extends rearwardly from the pod 142 and is suitably keyed to the hub 154 of the propeller 42. It will be noted that a hood 156 covers the upper portion of propeller hanger 40, the front portion of such hood having an arm 158 bolted to drive tube 3.6.

In the operation of the aforedescribed dinghy drive D, the crank 26 is manually rotated by its handle 26a so as to effect concurrent rotation of the propeller through pinions 106, 108, chains 109, 152, spur gears 104, 120 and drive shaft 116 and propeller shaft 148. The utilization of the pinion and gear ratios described hereinabove effects a desirable power output for a given manual effort. In this regard, the r.p.m. of front shaft 98 will be double that of rear shaft 100 because of the utilization of the one-to-two ratio between gears 104 and 120. It has been found that this arrangement compensates for the friction loss between the sprockets and roller chains and the spur gears without decreasing the r.p.m. of either the crank 46 orithe propeller 42. The r.p.m. of the propeller 42 is substantially the same as the r.p.m. of the drive shaft 116 and frontshaft 98. It has also been found that the diameter of pinion 108 should be approximately 20% of the length of the crank 46. The average r.p.m. applied to the crank 46 under normal conditions will be about 60 r.p.m.

The propeller 42 should normally have a surface area of between 55 to about 77 square inches per blade where three blades are utilized. The total blade surface may vary between about l65 square inches to about 231 squareinches of reaction surface area. It is not advisable to utilize a purchase angle of the propeller blade into the water greater than a range of 18 and 31. This purchase angle may be adjusted by means of pivoting the adjustment plate 60.

The cap screws 76 should be adjusted so as to provide adequate resistance against relative rotation between main support member 32 and transom mount 24 during rotation of the crank 46 and yet permit main support member 32 to be pivoted about boss 72 so as to steer the dinghy.

Referring now to FIG. 11, it is particularly important to note should weeds or other foreign matter 200 become entangled about propeller 42 the boat operator 202 may pivot the propeller hanger 40 upwardly out of the water 204 to provide easy access to such propeller and the lower portion of the propeller hanger 40. When the foreign matter has been disengaged, the propeller hanger may be lowered into its normal driving position. Referring now to FIG. 12, when it is desired to remove the drive D from the dinghy 22, the propeller hanger 40 is pivoted to the upright position shown in this figure. Thereafter, the rear screw 134 -'is unthreaded from between the ears 126 and 128 and the propeller hanger 40 may be pivoted to its forwardly extending generally horizontal position of FIG. 13. Screw 134 may then be threaded into aligned threaded apertures 210 formed in cars 126, 128 and hanger plate s'oas to retain the propeller hanger in such position. Clamp bolts 28 are then disengaged from transom and the dinghy drive D may be easily removed from the dinghy and transported to a stowed position.

Various modifications and changes may be made with respect to the foregoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 claim:

1. A manually-operated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy, said drive comprising:

a main support member removably attachable to the stern portion of said dinghy;

a horizontal drive tube having its intermediate portion journaled by said main support member;

selectively releasable lock means interposed between said main support member and said horizontal drive tube, said lock means normally securing said horizontal drive tube against rotation relative to said main support member;

a propeller hanger normally depending from the rear of said main support member so as to have its lower portion submerged;

a propeller drive shaft carried by the lower portion of said propeller hanger;

a propeller keyed to said propeller shaft;

a drive shaft rotatably disposed within said horizontal drive tube;

rotation-transfer elements extending between said drive shaft and said propeller shaft;

a crank support member secured to the front portion of said main support member;

a manually-operated crank carried by said crank support member;

power-transfer elements interposed between said drive shaft and said crank whereby manual rotation of said crank will effect concurrent rotation of said drive shaft and said propeller shaft; and

with said propeller hanger being rotatable upwardly between its normal depending submerged position and a raised position when said lock means are released.

2. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper portion of said propeller hanger is pivotally secured to the rear portion of said drive tube whereby said propeller hanger may be rotated upwardly from its normal depending position to an upright position and then pivoted to a forwardly extending position.

3. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 1 which further includes a transom mounting member that is pivotally attached to the intermediate portion of said main support member whereby said drive tube may be swivelled relative to the stern of said dinghy.

4. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 3 wherein the vertical angle between said transom mounting member and said main support member is adjustable so as to vary the purchase angle of said propeller.

5. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 3 which further includes a crank support member secured to the front of said drive tube, with forcetransfer means being interposed between said crank 6. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 5 wherein said force-transfer means includes:

front and rear vertical shafts journaled in said crank support member, said front shaft being keyed to said crank and to a first sprocket, said second shaft being keyed to a second sprocket and to a first spur gear;

a second spur gear keyed to the front of said drive shaft and meshed with said first spur gear;

a driving sprocket keyed to the rear of said drive shaft;

a driven sprocket keyed to :said propeller shaft; and

first and second endless chains extending between said first and second sprockets and between said driving and driven sprockets.

7. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 6 wherein the ratio of said sprockets and gears provide a propeller r.p.m. approximately the same as that of said front shaft.

8. A manually-operated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy, said drive comprising:

a main support member removably attachable to the stern portion of said dinghy;

a horizontal drive tube having its intermediate portion journaled by said main support member;

a transom mounting member that is pivotally attached to the intermediate portion of said main support member whereby said drive tube may be swivelled relative to the stern of said dinghy, with the vertical angle between said transom mounting member and said main support member being adjhstable;

a crank support member secured to the front of said drive tube, said crank support member including a manually rotated crank, and with said crank support member including a steering handle;

a propeller hanger depending from the rear of said main support member so as to have its lower portion submerged;

a propeller drive shaft carried by the lower portion of said propeller hanger;

a propeller keyed to said propeller shaft;

a drive shaft rotatably disposed within said horizontal drive tube;

rotation-transfer elements extending between said drive shaft and said propeller shaft; and

power transfer elements interposed between said drive shaft and said crank whereby manual rotation of said crank will effect concurrent rotation of said drive shaft and said propeller shaft.

' 9. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 8 wherein said force-transfer means includes:

front and rear vertical shafts journaled in said crank support member, said front shaft being keyed to said crank and to a first sprocket, said second shaft being keyed to a second sprocket and to a first spur gear;

a second spur gear keyed to the front of said drive shaft and meshed with said first spur gear;

a driving sprocket keyed to the rear of said drive shaft;

a driven sprocket keyed to said propeller shaft; and

first and secondendless chains extending between said first and second sprockets and between said driving and driven sprockets.

10. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 9 wherein the ratio of said sprockets and gears provide a propeller r.p.m. approximately the same as that of said front shaft. 

1. A manually-operated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy, said drive comprising: a main support member removably attachable to the stern portion of said dinghy; a horizontal drive tube having its intermediate portion journaled by said main support member; selectively releasable lock means interposed between said main support member and said horizontal drive tube, said lock means normally securing said horizontal drive tube against rotation relative to said main support member; a propeller hanger normally depending from the rear of said main support member so as to have its lower portion submerged; a propeller drive shaft carried by the lower portion of said propeller hanger; a propeller keyed to said propeller shaft; a drive shaft rotatably disposed within said horizontal drive tube; rotation-transfer elements extending between said drive shaft and said propeller shaft; a crank support member secured to the front portion of said main support member; a Manually-operated crank carried by said crank support member; power-transfer elements interposed between said drive shaft and said crank whereby manual rotation of said crank will effect concurrent rotation of said drive shaft and said propeller shaft; and with said propeller hanger being rotatable upwardly between its normal depending submerged position and a raised position when said lock means are released.
 2. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper portion of said propeller hanger is pivotally secured to the rear portion of said drive tube whereby said propeller hanger may be rotated upwardly from its normal depending position to an upright position and then pivoted to a forwardly extending position.
 3. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 1 which further includes a transom mounting member that is pivotally attached to the intermediate portion of said main support member whereby said drive tube may be swivelled relative to the stern of said dinghy.
 4. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 3 wherein the vertical angle between said transom mounting member and said main support member is adjustable so as to vary the purchase angle of said propeller.
 5. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 3 which further includes a crank support member secured to the front of said drive tube, with force-transfer means being interposed between said crank and the front of said drive shaft and between the rear of said drive shaft and said propeller shaft whereby rotation of said crank effects concurrent rotation of said propeller, and with said crank support member including a steering handle.
 6. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 5 wherein said force-transfer means includes: front and rear vertical shafts journaled in said crank support member, said front shaft being keyed to said crank and to a first sprocket, said second shaft being keyed to a second sprocket and to a first spur gear; a second spur gear keyed to the front of said drive shaft and meshed with said first spur gear; a driving sprocket keyed to the rear of said drive shaft; a driven sprocket keyed to said propeller shaft; and first and second endless chains extending between said first and second sprockets and between said driving and driven sprockets.
 7. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 6 wherein the ratio of said sprockets and gears provide a propeller r.p.m. approximately the same as that of said front shaft.
 8. A manually-operated propelling and steering drive for a dinghy, said drive comprising: a main support member removably attachable to the stern portion of said dinghy; a horizontal drive tube having its intermediate portion journaled by said main support member; a transom mounting member that is pivotally attached to the intermediate portion of said main support member whereby said drive tube may be swivelled relative to the stern of said dinghy, with the vertical angle between said transom mounting member and said main support member being adjustable; a crank support member secured to the front of said drive tube, said crank support member including a manually rotated crank, and with said crank support member including a steering handle; a propeller hanger depending from the rear of said main support member so as to have its lower portion submerged; a propeller drive shaft carried by the lower portion of said propeller hanger; a propeller keyed to said propeller shaft; a drive shaft rotatably disposed within said horizontal drive tube; rotation-transfer elements extending between said drive shaft and said propeller shaft; and power transfer elements interposed between said drive shaft and said crank whereby manual rotation of said crank will effect concurrent rotation of said drive shaft and said propeller shaft.
 9. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 8 wherein saiD force-transfer means includes: front and rear vertical shafts journaled in said crank support member, said front shaft being keyed to said crank and to a first sprocket, said second shaft being keyed to a second sprocket and to a first spur gear; a second spur gear keyed to the front of said drive shaft and meshed with said first spur gear; a driving sprocket keyed to the rear of said drive shaft; a driven sprocket keyed to said propeller shaft; and first and second endless chains extending between said first and second sprockets and between said driving and driven sprockets.
 10. A manually-operated dinghy drive as set forth in claim 9 wherein the ratio of said sprockets and gears provide a propeller r.p.m. approximately the same as that of said front shaft. 